Wise men to advise parliament

The European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs is to set up a panel of financial services experts to advise it on the package of measures outlined in the Financial Services Action Plan, which includes the European pensions directive and the Lamfalussy report. The panel will be composed of independent experts with experience of having worked in financial markets and with backgrounds in European financial services law and regulation. Its job will be to advise MEPs on upcoming proposals for directives and Commission consultation documents. Christa Randzio Plath, the chair of the committee, comments: “The establishment of this financial services panel will provide MEPs with additional expertise based on a sound understanding of how markets work. Our aim is to identify which problems to address on behalf of consumers, investors and other market participants in order to ensure the integration of financial markets in Europe.” The contract notice can be found at: http://www.europarl.eu.int/comparl/econ/press/default_en.htm